Asbestos Exposure News

Asbestos Exposure News
Asbestos Exposure News

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

Asbestos exposure now linked to autoimmune disease

January 10, 2005

Asbestos exposure has been linked to several deadly illnesses and has led to hundreds of thousands of lawsuits over the years. In addition to asbestosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma and other cancers and illnesses, asbestos exposure may also be linked to autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

According to researchers who examined 50 residents from Libby, Montana, a town severely polluted by asbestos, the residents were more likely to have a class of autoantibodies known as antinuclear antibodies compared to the control group. The researchers say the antinuclear antibodies are often found in people whose immune systems may be predisposed to cause inflammation against their own body tissue.

The people affected by asbestos exposure, or who fear they will be diagnosed with asbestos related illnesses in the future since it can take decades for symptoms to appear, are afraid asbestos litigation reform will leave many people without compensation or adequate medical care. If asbestos exposure is also connected to future autoimmune diseases, a whole new group of victims may find they have no access to the legal system if reforms limit injuries tied to exposure to asbestos.

Researchers are planning on continuing their studies of autoimmune disease among the affected Libby population.

Contact us for more information on asbestos exposure diseases and the link to autoimmune disease.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 at 12:00 am.

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